Teekhi Baat with Shivraj Singh Chouhan/IBN7/December 29,2013

‘Human rights are for humans, not demons like the Delhi rapists’

The number of rapes cases in MP is the highest because we have issued directions that each and every FIR should be registered, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says on Teekhi Baat on IBN7. Excerpts:

Your state has the most rape cases. There seems to be a feudal mentality in Madhya Pradesh

I accept that even if there is one incident of rape, it is a matter of shame for every person and the state. We will act more aggressively, there should be fast track courts, criminals should be punished. We are creating systems about which I will talk about later. But there is one thing in Madhya Pradesh, which differentiates us from other states, and that is that it is our strict orders that let it be any crime, you have to register an FIR. If anybody does not register an FIR, action would be taken against him.

You mean to say that the increase in incidence of crime is due to increase in crimes being registered.

Anybody who comes, his FIR would be registered.

Conviction is another issue. The conviction rate is very low in your state.

We are paying attention to that too. But it is natural that if every FIR is registered, many are false, and in many of them there is no evidence. Am just not talking about crime against women, but all crime. But the Madhya Pradesh government is alert, and we strive continuously.

Your party leader Sushma Swaraj has said that rapists should be awarded death sentence.

In Madhya Pradesh, there was an incident where a woman was sexually assaulted and raped. In that case, death sentence was awarded in 33 days by our sessions court. We consider these sensitive cases, and monitor them continuously, collect witnesses and make an attempt to ensure early conviction. But I believe that fast track courts are needed where cases are heard quickly and culprits are sentenced. The Delhi incident or such incidents in other places shame humanity. Hence, there should be death sentence for such criminals, there should be no talk of human rights in such cases, because human rights are for humans, they are not for demons and animals.

So you agree...

Certainly, if we have to stop such crime, we should award strict punishments so that there is an environment where criminals are afraid, and not feel that they can get away.